This afternoon hubby and I spent a couple of hours tucked away in a bird hide.
As we approached we realised someone had put out some fairy lights on an ajoining Christmas tree and some really big festive outdoor candles. Then as we opened the door there were tea lights and pretty hearts, mmm must be a party later tonight. Very unusual place to hold one we thought.
As the afternoon went on hubby has a bit of wind (well A lot actually) from too much beer and rich food from the night before. This horrible smell had overpowered the delicate perfume of the tea lights.
As we are about to leave at dusk, a lovely young chap arrives with a bottle of champagne and goblets. He tells us that he’s the local farmer and is about to propose to his girlfriend, in the next half an hour.
We wished him well and ran away giggling because the smell was awful, even with the hide shutter up it had lingered.

Sounds fowl. Fingers crossed the young amore got a chance to see a Great Tit later on or even a Booby. All rather depends on whether she’s a gamebird or not. But the less said about Swallows the better.

very quiet day at the hide in truth, although if he’d spent all day ferrying the various candles and things (he’d used a wheel barrow to bring a three foot high cheminea buerner down the path!) it’s not surprising that the wildlife would have been wary.

In terms of what we did see – blue tits, great tits, coal tits, robins, long tailed tits, mallards, mandarins, heron, cormorant – all frequent visitors. Sadly no woodpeckers, treecreepers or nuthatches which we usually see, nor kingfishers which I’ve never seen there, though Bunnyhop has. the raret thing we normally see is an egyptian goose that lives in the area. No mammals spotted either yesterday 🙁

Shame that, but still a very sweet. And I’m sure you both got something out of it too.
Not in the voyeuristic way, more of a awwww!

I hope no bugger ruins my peaceful day down at the hides to tomorrow.
Luckily they are at the arse end of nowhere.
I’ll be on the look out for raptors and waders.
And with any luck, a few short eared owls will come out to say hello.